U.S. patent application number 17/038755 was filed with the patent office on 2021-04-08 for vehicle door lock device.
This patent application is currently assigned to AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA. The applicant listed for this patent is AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA. Invention is credited to Takumi HAYASHI, Yasuhiko Sono, Yasuaki TANINO.
Application Number | 20210102412 17/038755 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005163701 |
Filed Date | 2021-04-08 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20210102412 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HAYASHI; Takumi ; et
al. |
April 8, 2021 |
VEHICLE DOOR LOCK DEVICE
Abstract
A vehicle door lock device includes: a latch mechanism switching
member which switches a latch mechanism to an unlatching state; a
first lever member which moves to an operating position when a door
handle is operated to open a door; a link member movable to an
unlock position where the link member is engaged with the latch
mechanism switching member and the latch mechanism is switched to
the unlatching state, and a lock position where the latch mechanism
is not switched to the unlatching state; a second lever member
releasably engageable with the link member and causing the latch
mechanism switching member to move to the operating position by
moving from an initial position to an operating position; a biasing
member which biases the link member toward the lock position; and a
drive unit which drives the second lever member to move from the
initial position to the operating position.
Inventors: |
HAYASHI; Takumi;
(Kariya-shi, JP) ; TANINO; Yasuaki; (Kariya-shi,
JP) ; Sono; Yasuhiko; (Kariya-shi, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA |
Kzriya-shi |
|
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI
KAISHA
Kariya-shi
JP
|
Family ID: |
1000005163701 |
Appl. No.: |
17/038755 |
Filed: |
September 30, 2020 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E05B 81/16 20130101;
E05B 15/04 20130101; E05Y 2900/531 20130101 |
International
Class: |
E05B 81/16 20060101
E05B081/16; E05B 15/04 20060101 E05B015/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 2, 2019 |
JP |
2019-182026 |
Claims
1. A vehicle door lock device comprising: a latch mechanism
switching member configured to switch a latch mechanism to an
unlatching state by moving from an initial position to an operating
position, the latch mechanism being switchable to a latching state
in which a vehicle door is held in a closed state and the
unlatching state in which the closed state of the vehicle door is
released; a first lever member configured to move to an operating
position when a door handle provided on the vehicle door is
operated to open the door; a link member which is movable to an
unlock position where the link member is engaged with the latch
mechanism switching member and the latch mechanism is switched to
the unlatching state when the first lever member moves to the
operating position, and a lock position where the latch mechanism
is not switched to the unlatching state because the link member is
not engaged with the latch mechanism switching member; a second
lever member which is releasably engageable with the link member
and is configured to cause the latch mechanism switching member to
move to the operating position by moving from an initial position
to an operating position; a biasing member configured to bias the
link member toward the lock position; and a drive unit configured
to cause the second lever member to move from the initial position
to the operating position, wherein when the second lever member is
driven by the drive unit to move to the operating position, the
second lever member causes the latch mechanism switching member to
move to the operating position, and causes the link member to move
to the unlock position against a biasing force of the biasing
member, and when the drive unit stops after moving the second lever
member to the operating position, the link member moves to the lock
position by the biasing force of the biasing member and causes the
second lever member to move to the initial position.
2. The vehicle door lock device according to claim 1, wherein the
second lever member includes a first engaging portion configured to
be engaged with the link member and cause the link member to move
to the unlock position against the biasing force of the biasing
member when the second lever member is driven by the drive unit to
move to the operating position, and a second engaging portion
configured to be engaged with the latch mechanism switching member
and cause the latch mechanism switching member to move to the
operating position.
3. The vehicle door lock device according to claim 1, further
comprising: a third lever member which is movable to a first
position and a second position, wherein the biasing member biases
the link member toward the lock position when the third lever
member is located at the first position, and biases the link member
toward the unlock position when the third lever member is located
at the second position.
4. The vehicle door lock device according to claim 1, wherein the
biasing member is a torsion coil spring which includes two arms and
is elastically deformable so that an interval between the two arms
increases, the link member includes a protrusion-shaped engaging
portion, and the engaging portion is disposed between the two
arms.
5. The vehicle door lock device according to claim 1, wherein the
drive unit includes a rotation member rotatable to an unlock
position, a release position, and a neutral position between the
unlock position and the release position, and the rotation member
causes the second lever member to move from the initial position to
the operating position when rotating from the neutral position to
the release position, and causes the link member to move from the
lock position to the unlock position when rotating from the neutral
position to the unlock position.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is based on and claims priority under 35
U.S.C. .sctn. 119 to Japanese Patent Application 2019-182026, filed
on Oct. 10, 2019, the entire content of which is incorporated
herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This disclosure relates to a vehicle door lock device.
BACKGROUND DISCUSSION
[0003] A vehicle door lock device includes an electric drive unit
for operating a lock mechanism with an electric drive force. A
vehicle door lock device described in Japanese Patent No. 6213927
(Reference 1) includes a lock mechanism, a trigger lever configured
to open a vehicle door by operating this lock mechanism, an
electric drive unit which drives this trigger lever, and a lock
lever which can move to a lock position and an unlock position. In
the vehicle door lock device described in Reference 1, the lock
lever is held at the lock position when the electric drive unit
drives the trigger lever to operate the lock mechanism (to open the
vehicle door) in a normal operation.
[0004] In a configuration described in Reference 1, a biasing
member such as a spring which biases the lock lever toward the lock
position is necessary so that the lock lever is held at the lock
position when the electric drive unit drives the trigger lever.
Further, in order to return the trigger lever to an initial
position after an operation of the lock mechanism is completed, a
biasing member such as a spring which biases the trigger lever
toward the initial position is necessary. In this way, in a
configuration in which the lock lever is held in the lock position
during the operation of the trigger lever, the biasing member which
returns the trigger lever to the initial position and the biasing
member which holds the lock lever at the lock position are
separately necessary, which increases the number of components.
Further, a space for disposing the biasing members is necessary,
which causes an increase in a size of the door lock device.
[0005] A need thus exists for a vehicle door lock device which is
not susceptible to the drawback mentioned above.
SUMMARY
[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a vehicle door lock
device according to this disclosure includes: a latch mechanism
switching member (36) configured to switch a latch mechanism to an
unlatching state by moving from an initial position to an operating
position, the latch mechanism being switchable to a latching state
in which a vehicle door (1) is held in a closed state and an
unlatching state in which the closed state of the vehicle door (1)
is released; a first lever member (34) configured to move to an
operating position when a door handle (16 and 17) provided on the
vehicle door (1) is operated to open the door; a link member (35)
which is movable to an unlock position where the link member is
engaged with the latch mechanism switching member (36) and the
latch mechanism is switched to the unlatching state when the first
lever member (34) moves to the operating position, and a lock
position where the link member is not engaged with the latch
mechanism switching member (36) and the latch mechanism is not
switched to the unlatching state; a second lever member (38) which
is releasably engageable with the link member (35) and is
configured to cause the latch mechanism switching member (36) to
move to the operating position by moving from an initial position
to an operating position; a biasing member (50) configured to bias
the link member toward the lock position; and a drive unit (39 and
40) configured to drive the second lever member (38) to move from
the initial position to the operating position. When the second
lever member (38) is driven by the drive unit (39 and 40) to move
to the operating position, the second lever member (38) causes the
latch mechanism switching member (36) to move to the operating
position, and causes the link member (35) to move to the unlock
position against a biasing force of the biasing member (50). When
the drive unit (39 and 40) stops after moving the second lever
member (38) to the operating position, the link member (35) moves
to the lock position by the biasing force of the biasing member
(50) and causes the second lever member (38) to move to the initial
position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The foregoing and additional features and characteristics of
this disclosure will become more apparent from the following
detailed description considered with the reference to the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a configuration
example of a vehicle door to which a vehicle door lock device
according to an embodiment disclosed here is applied;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line II-II of
FIG. 1;
[0010] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a
configuration example of the vehicle door lock device according to
the embodiment disclosed here;
[0011] FIG. 4 illustrates the configuration example and an
operation of the vehicle door lock device according to the
embodiment disclosed here, and illustrates a locked state;
[0012] FIG. 5 illustrates the configuration example and the
operation of the vehicle door lock device according to the
embodiment disclosed here, and illustrates a released state;
[0013] FIG. 6 illustrates the configuration example and the
operation of the vehicle door lock device according to the
embodiment disclosed here, and illustrates an unlocked state;
[0014] FIG. 7 illustrates the configuration example and the
operation of the vehicle door lock device according to the
embodiment disclosed here, and illustrates an operation at a time
of manual operation;
[0015] FIG. 8 illustrates the configuration example and the
operation of the vehicle door lock device according to the
embodiment disclosed here, and illustrates an operation at the time
of manual operation;
[0016] FIG. 9 illustrates the configuration example and the
operation of the vehicle door lock device according to the
embodiment disclosed here, and illustrates an operation at the time
of manual operation; and
[0017] FIG. 10 illustrates the configuration example and the
operation of the vehicle door lock device according to the
embodiment disclosed here, and illustrates an operation at the time
of manual operation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] Hereinafter, a vehicle door lock device according to an
embodiment disclosed here will be described with reference to the
drawings. For convenience of description, the vehicle door lock
device according to the embodiment disclosed here may be simply
referred to as a "door lock device". FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic
views illustrating a configuration example of a vehicle door 1 to
which a door lock device 3 is applied. FIG. 1 is a side view of the
vehicle door 1 as viewed from an inside of a vehicle. FIG. 2 is a
cross-sectional view in the vicinity of a rear end portion of the
vehicle door 1 and is a cross-sectional view taken along a line
II-II of FIG. 1.
[0019] The vehicle door 1 includes a door main body 11 constituting
a lower half of the vehicle door 1 and a door sash 12 provided in
an upper half of the vehicle door 1. The door main body 11 includes
an outer panel 13 which constitutes an outer surface, an inner
panel 14 which is fixed to an inner surface of the outer panel 13,
and a resin trim 15 which is fixed to the inner surface of the
inner panel 14 and constitutes an inner surface of the door main
body 11. An outside door handle 16 and an inside door handle 17 are
respectively attached to the outer panel 13 and the trim 15 in a
rotatable manner with respect to the vehicle door 1. The outside
door handle 16 and the inside door handle 17 are examples of a door
handle disclosed here.
[0020] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the door lock device 3 is disposed
inside the vehicle door 1 (in an internal space between the outer
panel 13 and the inner panel 14). A part of the door lock device 3
is exposed to an outside at the rear end portion of the vehicle
door 1. The door lock device 3 is fixed to the inner panel 14 (that
is, the vehicle door 1).
[0021] The door lock device 3 includes a latch mechanism which is
switchable between a latching state and an unlatching state. The
latching state means a state in which the vehicle door 1 can be
held in a closed state, and the unlatching state means a state in
which the closed state of the vehicle door 1 can be released.
Further, the door lock device 3 is switchable between a locked
state and an unlocked state. The locked state means a state in
which the latch mechanism cannot be switched to the unlatching
state by door opening operations of the inside door handle 17 and
the outside door handle 16 (a state in which the closed state of
the vehicle door 1 cannot be released). The unlocked state means a
state in which the latch mechanism can be switched to the
unlatching state by the door opening operations of the inside door
handle 17 and the outside door handle 16. The latch mechanism is
switchable between the latching state and the unlatching state by
the door opening operations (manual operations) of the inside door
handle 17 and the outside door handle 16, and the door lock device
3 is switchable between the locked state and the unlocked state by
a driving force of an actuator 40.
[0022] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a
configuration example of the door lock device 3. As illustrated in
FIG. 3, the door lock device 3 includes a housing 31, an inside
open lever 32, an inside lever 33, an outside open lever 34 which
is an example of a first lever member disclosed here, an open link
35 which is an example of a link member disclosed here, a lift
lever 36 which is an example of a latch mechanism switching member
disclosed here, an active lever 37 which is an example of a third
lever member disclosed here, a release lever 38 which is an example
of a second lever member disclosed here, a rotation member 39, the
actuator 40, and the latch mechanism (not illustrated). The lift
lever 36 may be included in the latch mechanism.
[0023] The housing 31 is a member having a function of housing the
door lock device 3. The housing includes a first support portion
311, a second support portion 312, a third support portion 313, a
fourth support portion 314, and a fifth support portion 315. The
first support portion 311 rotatably supports the inside open lever
32. The second support portion 312 rotatably supports the inside
lever 33 and the active lever 37. The third support portion 313
rotatably supports the outside open lever 34. The fourth support
portion 314 rotatably supports the release lever 38. The fifth
support portion 315 rotatably supports the rotation member 39.
Configurations of the first support portion 311 to the fifth
support portion 315 are not particularly limited, and as
illustrated in FIG. 3, a columnar or cylindrical shaft can be
applied. Further, a shaft hole is formed in each of the inside open
lever 32, the inside lever 33, the outside open lever 34, the
active lever 37, the release lever 38, and the rotation member 39.
By inserting the support portions 311 to 315 into respective shaft
holes of these members, these members are rotatably supported about
the respective support portions 311 to 315.
[0024] The inside open lever 32, the inside lever 33, the outside
open lever 34, the lift lever 36, the active lever 37, the release
lever 38, and the rotation member 39 are rotatably supported on the
housing 31. Rotation center lines of the inside open lever 32, the
inside lever 33, the active lever 37, the release lever 38, and the
rotation member 39 are parallel to each other. A rotation center
line of the outside open lever 34 is perpendicular to the rotation
center lines of the inside open lever 32, the inside lever 33, the
active lever 37, the release lever 38, and the rotation member 39.
The open link 35 is rotatably supported with respect to the outside
open lever 34. The actuator 40 is a driving force source that
rotationally drives the rotation member 39, and is fixed to the
housing 31.
[0025] FIGS. 4 to 10 are views illustrating a configuration and
operations of the door lock device 3. FIGS. 4 to 6 illustrate an
operation by the driving force of the actuator 40, and FIGS. 7 to
10 illustrate an operation by the manual operation. FIG. 4
illustrates the locked state of the door lock device 3, FIG. 5
illustrates the operation of bringing the latch mechanism into the
unlatching state when the door lock device 3 is in the locked
state, and FIG. 6 illustrates the unlocked state. In FIGS. 4 to 6,
a part of lines is omitted for easy understanding of positional
relationships of members. FIGS. 7 to 10 illustrate the operation of
bringing the latch mechanism into the unlatching state when the
door lock device 3 is in the unlocked state. Specifically, FIGS. 7
and 8 illustrate a state in which neither the outside door handle
16 nor the inside door handle 17 is operated to open the door, and
FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate a state in which the inside door handle
17 is operated to open the door. Further, FIG. 8 is a view of FIG.
7 viewed from a direction different therefrom by 90.degree., and
FIG. 10 is a view of FIG. 9 viewed from a direction different
therefrom by 90.degree..
[0026] The inside open lever 32 is rotatably supported on the
housing 31 by the first support portion 311, and can move to an
initial position and an operating position by rotating. FIGS. 4 to
8 illustrate a state in which the inside open lever 32 is located
at the initial position, and FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate a state in
which the inside open lever 32 is located at the operating
position. In FIGS. 4 to 7, the operating position of the inside
open lever 32 is a position where the inside open lever 32 rotates
from the initial position in a clockwise direction by a
predetermined angle.
[0027] The inside open lever 32 is linked to the inside door handle
17 provided on the vehicle door 1, and can move from the initial
position to the operating position in conjunction with the door
opening operation (an operation of rotating the inside door handle
17 with respect to the vehicle door 1) of the inside door handle
17. For example, the inside open lever 32 and the inside door
handle 17 are coupled with an operation wire (not illustrated).
Further, the inside open lever 32 is constantly biased toward the
initial position by an inside open lever return spring 51. When the
inside door handle 17 is not operated to open the door, the inside
open lever 32 is held at the initial position by a biasing force of
the inside open lever return spring 51.
[0028] The inside open lever 32 includes an engaging portion 321
which is releasably engageable with a first engaging portion 331 of
the inside lever 33. Further, when the inside open lever 32 moves
from the initial position to the operating position, the engaging
portion 321 of the inside open lever 32 is engaged with the first
engaging portion 331 of the inside lever 33 to push the first
engaging portion 331, and causes the inside lever 33 to move from
an initial position to an operating position.
[0029] The inside lever 33 is rotatably supported on the housing 31
by the second support portion 312, and can move to the initial
position and the operating position by rotating. FIGS. 4 to 6
illustrate a state in which the inside lever 33 is located at the
initial position. In FIGS. 4 to 6, the operating position of the
inside lever 33 is a position where the inside lever 33 rotates
from the initial position in a counterclockwise direction by a
predetermined angle (see FIG. 8).
[0030] The inside lever 33 includes the first engaging portion 331
which is releasably engageable with the engaging portion 321 of the
inside open lever 32, and a second engaging portion 332 which is
releasably engageable with an engaging portion 341 of the outside
open lever 34. Further, when the inside lever 33 rotationally moves
from the initial position to the operating position according to
the rotation movement of the inside open lever 32, the second
engaging portion 332 is engaged with the engaging portion 341 of
the outside open lever 34 to push the engaging portion 341, and
causes the outside open lever 34 to rotationally move from an
initial position to an operating position.
[0031] The outside open lever 34 is the example of the first lever
member disclosed here. The outside open lever 34 is rotatably
supported on the housing 31 by the third support portion 313, and
can move to the initial position and the operating position by
rotating. FIGS. 4 to 8 illustrate a state in which the outside open
lever 34 is located at the initial position, and FIGS. 9 and 10
illustrate a state in which the outside open lever 34 is located at
the operating position. The rotation center line of the outside
open lever 34 is in a direction parallel to left and right ends in
FIGS. 4 to 7 and 9, and is in a direction perpendicular to a paper
surface in FIGS. 8 and 10.
[0032] The outside open lever 34 is linked to the outside door
handle 16. For example, the outside open lever 34 is coupled to the
outside door handle 16 with an operation wire. The outside open
lever 34 rotationally moves from the initial position to the
operating position in conjunction with the door opening operation
(an operation of rotating the outside door handle 16 with respect
to the vehicle door 1) of the outside door handle 16. Further, the
outside open lever 34 includes the engaging portion 341, and
rotationally moves from the initial position to the operating
position by the engaging portion 341 being engaged with and pressed
by the second engaging portion 332 of the inside lever 33.
[0033] The outside open lever 34 is constantly biased toward the
initial position by an outside open lever return spring 53 (see
FIG. 3). When the outside door handle 16 is not operated to open
the door and the inside lever 33 is not located at the operating
position (that is, when the inside door handle 17 is not operated
to open the door), the outside open lever 34 is held at the initial
position by a biasing force of the outside open lever return spring
53.
[0034] The open link 35 is the example of the link member disclosed
here. The open link 35 is rotatably supported with respect to the
outside open lever 34. For example, the outside open lever 34
includes a support portion 342, and the open link 35 has an opening
355. By inserting the support portion 342 of the outside open lever
34 into the opening 355 of the open link 35, the open link 35 is
rotatably supported with respect to the outside open lever 34.
Further, the open link 35 can move to an initial position and an
operating position by rotating with respect to the housing 31
together with the outside open lever 34.
[0035] The open link 35 includes a first engaging portion 351 which
is releasably engageable with a first engaging portion 361 of the
lift lever 36. The open link 35 can move to an unlock position and
a lock position by relatively rotating with respect to the outside
open lever 34. The unlock position is a position where, when the
open link 35 moves from the initial position to the operating
position together with the outside open lever 34, the first
engaging portion 351 of the open link 35 is engaged with the first
engaging portion 361 of the lift lever 36 to cause the lift lever
36 to move to an operating position. That is, the unlock position
is a state in which the closed state of the vehicle door 1 can be
released. The lock position is a position (a position where the
open link 35 does not cause the lift lever 36 to move to the
operating position) where, even when the open link 35 moves from
the initial position to the operating position, the first engaging
portion 351 of the open link 35 is not engaged with the first
engaging portion 361 of the lift lever 36. That is, the lock
position is a state in which the closed state of the vehicle door 1
cannot be released by the door opening operations of the outside
door handle 16 and the inside door handle 17. FIG. 4 illustrates
the state in which the open link 35 is located at the lock
position, and FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate the state in which the open
link 35 is located at the unlock position.
[0036] The open link 35 includes a second engaging portion 352
which is engaged with a biasing member 50. The second engaging
portion 352 can be applied as a protrusion-shaped configuration
which protrudes from a rod-shaped portion 354 extending from the
first engaging portion 351 in a rotation center line (axis)
direction of the open link 35. The open link 35 is linked to the
active lever 37 via the biasing member 50. Further, the open link
35 includes a third engaging portion 353 which is releasably
engageable with a first engaging portion 381 of the release lever
38 to be described later.
[0037] The biasing member 50 has a function of biasing the open
link 35 toward either the lock position or the unlock position
according to a position of the active lever 37. Further, the
biasing member 50 also has a function of biasing the release lever
38 toward an initial position.
[0038] In the present embodiment, the biasing member 50 is a
torsion coil spring including two arms 501. These two arms 501
protrudes substantially parallel and in substantially the same
direction. The biasing member 50 is elastically deformable so that
an interval between the two arms 501 increases. The biasing member
50 is attached to the active lever 37 and rotates integrally with
the active lever 37 with respect to the housing 31. Further, the
second engaging portion 352 of the open link 35 is disposed between
the two arms 501. In this way, the active lever 37 and the open
link 35 are linked via the biasing member 50 attached to the active
lever 37.
[0039] The active lever 37 is the example of the third lever member
disclosed here. The active lever 37 is rotatably supported by the
second support portion 312 with respect to the housing 31, and can
move to a first position and a second position by rotating. FIGS. 4
and 5 illustrate a state in which the active lever 37 is located at
the first position, and FIG. 6 illustrates a state in which the
active lever 37 is located at the second position. The present
embodiment illustrates an example in which the active lever 37 and
the inside lever 33 are coaxially and rotatably supported by the
second support portion 312.
[0040] The active lever 37 is linked to a key cylinder provided in
the vehicle door 1. For example, the active lever 37 is coupled to
each part of the key cylinder via a predetermined member. The
active lever 37 can move to the first position and the second
position according to an operation of the key cylinder. Further,
the active lever 37 can also move to the first position and the
second position by rotation of the rotation member 39.
[0041] As illustrated in FIG. 4, when the active lever 37 is
located at the first position, and the release lever 38 to be
described later is located at the initial position, the open link
35 is held in the lock position by the biasing member 50. Further,
as illustrated in FIG. 5, when the active lever 37 is located at
the first position, one of the two arms 501 of the biasing member
50 is pushed by the second engaging portion 352 of the open link 35
and the biasing member 50 is elastically deformed so that the
interval between the two arms 501 increases, which allows the open
link 35 to move from the lock position to the unlock position. In
this case, the open link 35 is biased toward the lock position by
the biasing member 50. Specifically, when the second engaging
portion 352 of the open link 35 is pushed by one of the two arms
501 of the biasing member 50, the open link 35 is biased toward the
lock position.
[0042] The lift lever 36 is the example of the latch mechanism
switching member disclosed here. The lift lever 36 is rotatably
supported with respect to the housing 31, and can move to an
initial position and an operating position by rotating. The lift
lever 36 switches the latch mechanism from the latching state to
the unlatching state when moving from the initial position to the
operating position. In the present embodiment, the lift lever 36 is
rotatably supported on a frame (not illustrated), and by rotating
with respect to this frame, the lift lever 36 also rotates with
respect to the housing 31.
[0043] The latch mechanism (not illustrated) is switchable between
the latching state in which the vehicle door 1 can be held in the
closed state and the unlatching state in which the closed state of
the vehicle door 1 can be released. A specific configuration of the
latch mechanism is not particularly limited, and various known
configurations can be applied. For example, the following
configurations can be applied.
[0044] The latch mechanism includes a latch and a pole. The latch
is rotatably supported on the frame of the door lock device 3, and
can rotationally move to an unlatch position, a half latch
position, and a full latch position. The unlatch position is a
position (releasable position) where a striker 91 provided on a
vehicle body 90 is not held. The half latch position and the full
latch position are positions where the striker 91 is held when the
vehicle door 1 is in the closed state. Further, the latch is
constantly biased toward the unlatch position by a latch return
spring.
[0045] The pole is rotatably supported on the frame of the door
lock device 3 and can move to an engagement position and a
non-engagement position. The engagement position is a position
where the pole is engaged with the latch to hold the latch at the
half latch position or the full latch position (rotational movement
to the unlatch position is prevented). The unlatch position is a
position where the pole is not engaged with the latch, and is a
position where the rotational movement of the latch to the unlatch
position is allowed. Further, the pole is constantly biased toward
the engagement position by a pole return spring.
[0046] When the lift lever 36 moves from the initial position to
the operating position when the vehicle door 1 is in the closed
state, the lift lever 36 is engaged with the pole (for example,
pushes the pole) to cause the pole to move from the engagement
position to the non-engagement position. Accordingly, the
engagement between the pole and the latch is released, the latch
rotationally moves to the unlatch position by the biasing force of
the latch return spring, and the closed state of the vehicle door 1
can be released. In this way, when the lift lever 36 moves from the
initial position to the operating position, the latch mechanism is
switched from the latching state to the unlatching state due to the
movement of the lift lever 36.
[0047] The actuator 40 and the rotation member 39 are examples of
drive units disclosed here which cause the release lever 38 to move
from an initial position to an operating position. In the present
embodiment, a motor which outputs rotational power is applied as
the actuator 40, and an output shaft 401 thereof is provided with a
worm 402. The actuator 40 is not limited to a specific
configuration as long as the actuator 40 can drive the rotation
member 39 to rotate in both forward and reverse directions.
[0048] The rotation member 39 is rotatably supported on the housing
31 by the fifth support portion 315, and can move to a neutral
position, an unlock position, and a release position by rotating. A
worm wheel (for example, a helical gear) is applied to the rotation
member 39. Further, the helical gear which is the rotation member
39, meshes with the worm 402 of the actuator 40. FIG. 4 illustrates
a state in which the rotation member 39 is at the neutral position,
FIG. 5 illustrates a state in which the rotation member 39 is at
the release position, and FIG. 6 illustrates a state in which the
rotation member 39 is at the unlock position.
[0049] As illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 6, the neutral position is a
position where the release lever 38 is allowed to be located at the
initial position, and specifically, is a position where an engaging
portion 391 provided on the rotation member 39 does not contact a
third engaging portion 383 of the release lever 38 located at the
initial position. The release position and the unlock position are
positions where the rotation member 39 rotates from the neutral
position in opposite directions by a predetermined angle. That is,
the neutral position is located between the unlock position and the
release position. The rotation member 39 rotationally moves from
the initial position to the unlock position and the release
position by the driving force of the actuator 40. Further, the
rotation member 39 is constantly biased toward the neutral position
by a rotation member return spring 54. When the actuator 40 is not
operating, the rotation member 39 is held in the neutral position
by the rotation member return spring 54.
[0050] The rotation member 39 rotationally moves from the neutral
position to the release position to cause the release lever 38 to
be described later to move from the initial position to the
operating position. In the present embodiment, the rotation member
39 includes the protrusion-shaped engaging portion 391 radially
separated from a rotation center. The engaging portion 391 is
engaged with (presses the third engaging portion 383) the third
engaging portion 383 of the release lever 38 by the rotation of the
rotating member 39 in a direction from the neutral position to the
release position and causes the release lever 38 to move from the
initial position to the operating position. The rotation member 39
causes the active lever 37 to move from the first position to the
second position by rotationally moving from the neutral position to
the unlock position (see FIG. 6). For example, the rotation member
39 includes a protrusion portion (not illustrated). Further, when
the rotation member 39 rotationally moves from the neutral position
to the unlock position, the protrusion portion contacts the active
lever 37 and pushes the active lever 37, thereby causing the active
lever 37 to move from the first position to the second
position.
[0051] The release lever 38 is the example of the second lever
member disclosed here. The release lever 38 is rotatably supported
on the housing 31 by the fourth support portion 314, and can move
to the initial position and the operating position by rotating.
FIGS. 4 and 6 illustrate a state in which the release lever 38 is
located at the initial position, and FIG. 5 illustrates a state in
which the release lever 38 is located at the operating position.
The release lever 38 includes the third engaging portion 383 which
is releasably engageable with the engaging portion 391 of the
rotation member 39, a second engaging portion 382 which is
releasably engageable with a second engaging portion 362 of the
lift lever 36, and the first engaging portion 381 which is
releasably engageable with the third engaging portion 353 of the
open link 35.
[0052] When the rotation member 39 rotationally moves from the
neutral position to the release position, the third engaging
portion 383 of the release lever 38 is engaged with and pressed by
the engaging portion 391 of the rotation member 39, and the release
lever 38 moves from the initial position illustrated in FIG. 4 to
the operating position illustrated in FIG. 5. When the release
lever 38 moves from the initial position to the operating position,
the second engaging portion 382 is engaged with the second engaging
portion 362 of the lift lever 36 and presses the second engaging
portion 362 to cause the lift lever 36 to move from the initial
position to the operating position. Further, as described above,
when the lift lever 36 moves from the initial position to the
operating position when the vehicle door 1 is in the closed state,
the latch mechanism is switched from the latching state to the
unlatching state, and the vehicle door 1 is in the state in which
the closed state can be released.
[0053] When the release lever 38 moves from the initial position to
the operating position when the open link 35 is located at the lock
position, the first engaging portion 381 of the release lever 38 is
engaged with the third engaging portion 353 of the open link 35 and
presses the third engaging portion 353 to cause the open link 35 to
move to the unlock position. Further, when the release lever 38 is
moving from the initial position to the operating position, the
first engaging portion 381 of the release lever 38 is engaged with
the third engaging portion 353 of the open link 35, so that the
biasing force (biasing force to bias the open link 35 toward the
lock position) of the biasing member 50 is transmitted to the
release lever 38 via the open link 35. Therefore, the release lever
38 is biased toward the initial position.
[0054] The first engaging portion 381 of the release lever 38 is
located in a direction where the open link 35 faces the lock
position when viewed from the third engaging portion 353 of the
open link 35. When the release lever 38 is located at the initial
position, the open link 35 can move to the lock position and the
unlock position without interfering with the release lever 38. When
the release lever 38 moves from the initial position to the
operating position by the rotation of the rotation member 39, the
first engaging portion 381 of the release lever 38 is engaged with
the third engaging portion 353 of the open link 35 and presses the
third engaging portion 353 to cause the open link 35 to move from
the lock position to the unlock position. On the other hand, when
the open link 35 is biased toward the lock position by the biasing
member 50, the third engaging portion 353 of the open link 35 is
engaged with and pressed by the first engaging portion 381 of the
release lever 38. Therefore, the release lever 38 is biased toward
the initial position.
[0055] Here, the operation of the door lock device 3 when the
outside door handle 16 and the inside door handle 17 are operated
to open the door will be described.
[0056] When the inside door handle 17 is operated to open the door,
the door lock device 3 changes from the state illustrated in FIGS.
7 and 8 to the state illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10. That is, the
operation of the inside door handle 17 is transmitted to the
outside open lever 34 via the inside open lever 32 and the inside
lever 33, and the outside open lever 34 moves from the initial
position to the operating position. Further, when the outside door
handle 16 is operated to open the door, the operation of the
outside door handle 16 is transmitted to the outside open lever 34.
Therefore, the outside open lever 34 moves from the initial
position to the operating position as illustrated in FIG. 9 with
the inside open lever 32 and the inside lever 33 held at the
initial positions (see FIG. 7). Then, the open link 35 moves from
the initial position to the operating position together with the
outside open lever 34.
[0057] In a state (unlocked state) in which the open link 35 is
located at the unlock position, when the open link 35 moves from
the initial position to the operating position together with the
outside open lever 34, the first engaging portion 351 of the open
link 35 is engaged with the first engaging portion 361 of the lift
lever 36, and causes the lift lever 36 to move from the initial
position to the operating position. Then, the pole of the latch
mechanism moves from the engagement position to the non-engagement
position by the movement of the lift lever 36, and the latch moves
to the unlatch position by the latch return spring. Accordingly,
the latch is switched from the latching state to the unlatching
state, and the vehicle door 1 is in the state in which the closed
state can be released.
[0058] On the other hand, in a state (locked state) in which the
open link 35 is located at the lock position, even when the open
link 35 moves from the initial position to the operating position,
the first engaging portion 351 of the open link 35 is not engaged
with the first engaging portion 361 of the lift lever 36, and
therefore the lift lever 36 is held at the initial position.
Therefore, since the latch mechanism is held in the latching state,
the vehicle door 1 cannot be released from the closed state.
[0059] In this way, when the open link 35 is located at the lock
position, even when the inside door handle 17 and the outside door
handle 16 are operated to open the door, the vehicle door 1 is held
in a state (state in which the vehicle door 1 cannot be released
from the closed state) in which the vehicle door 1 can be held at
the closed state. That is, the door lock device 3 is in the
unlocked state when the open link 35 is in the unlock position, and
is in the locked state when the open link 35 is in the lock
position.
[0060] Next, the operation of the door lock device 3 by the driving
force of the actuator 40 will be described.
[0061] In a state (see FIG. 4) in which the active lever 37 is
located at the first position and the open link 35 is located at
the lock position, when the actuator 40 operates and the rotation
member 39 rotationally moves from the neutral position to the
release position, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the engaging portion
391 of the rotation member 39 is engaged with the third engaging
portion 383 of the release lever 38 and causes the release lever 38
to move from the initial position to the operating position. When
the release lever 38 moves to the operating position, the second
engaging portion 382 of the release lever 38 is engaged with the
second engaging portion 362 of the lift lever 36 and causes the
lift lever 36 to move from the initial position to the operating
position. Further, the first engaging portion 381 of the release
lever 38 is engaged with the third engaging portion 353 of the open
link 35 and causes the open link 35 to move from the lock position
to the unlock position against the biasing force of the biasing
member 50. At this time, the second engaging portion 352 of the
open link 35 pushes one of the two arms 501 of the biasing member
50, and the biasing member 50 elastically deforms so that the
interval between the two arms 501 increases.
[0062] When the lift lever 36 is pressed by the release lever 38 to
move to the operating position, the latch mechanism is in the
unlatching state, and the vehicle door 1 is in a state in which the
closed state can be released, as in the case of the inside door
handle 17 and the outside door handle 16 being operated to open the
door. The release lever 38 is directly engaged with the lift lever
36 without the open link 35 and causes the lift lever 36 to move to
the operating position. Therefore, when the driving force of the
actuator 40 is used, the latch mechanism can be switched to the
unlatching state even when the door lock device 3 is in the locked
state. Further, as described above, when the vehicle door 1 can be
opened by the driving force of the actuator 40 in a state in which
the door lock device 3 is in the locked state, the open link 35
moves from the lock position to the unlock position against the
biasing force of the biasing member 50. At this time, the open link
35 is biased toward the lock position.
[0063] When the actuator 40 stops, the rotation member 39 returns
to the neutral position by the biasing force of the rotation member
return spring 54. Then, the release lever 38 can move to the
initial position. Further, the open link 35 moves to the lock
position by the biasing force of the biasing member 50, and presses
the release lever 38 by the biasing force of the biasing member 50
to cause the release lever 38 to move to the initial position.
Accordingly, the door lock device 3 returns to the state
illustrated in FIG. 4.
[0064] In the state (see FIG. 4) in which the active lever 37 is
located at the first position and the open link 35 is located at
the lock position, when the actuator 40 operates and the rotation
member 39 rotationally moves from the neutral position to the
unlock position, the rotation member 39 causes the active lever 37
to move from the first position illustrated in FIG. 4 to the second
position illustrated in FIG. 6. When the active lever 37 moves from
the first position to the second position, the open link 35 is
biased to the unlock position by the biasing member 50, and is
located at the unlock position. In this way, the door lock device 3
is switched from the locked state to the unlocked state by the
driving force of the actuator 40. The active lever 37 and the
rotation member 39 may be linked so that the active lever 37 moves
from the lock position to the unlock position by the rotation
member 39 rotating from the neutral position to the unlock
position, and a specific configuration of linkage is not
limited.
[0065] As described above, when the release lever 38 moves from the
initial position to the operating position by the driving force of
the actuator 40 in the state in which the active lever 37 is
located at the first position, the release lever 38 causes the lift
lever 36 to move to the operating position, and the release lever
38 causes the open link 35 to move to the unlock position against
the biasing force of the biasing member 50. Further, when the
operation of the actuator 40 stops after the release lever 38 moves
to the operating position, the open link 35 moves from the unlock
position to the lock position by the biasing force of the biasing
member 50, and the open link 35 causes the release lever 38 to move
to the initial position. In this way, in the door lock device 3,
two members, the open link 35 which is a member switchable to the
locked state and the unlocked state, and the release lever 38 which
is a member that switches the latching state and the unlatching
state of the latch mechanism, are biased by one biasing member
50.
[0066] According to such a configuration, a biasing member for
returning the release lever 38 to the initial position may not be
separately disposed. Therefore, the number of components can be
reduced, and a size of the door lock device 3, for example, a
thickness thereof can be reduced. For example, in a configuration
in which a torsion coil spring for biasing the release lever 38 to
the initial position is mounted on a support shaft of the release
lever 38, a dimension of the release lever 38 in a rotation center
line direction of the door lock device 3 increases. In the present
embodiment, since such a biasing member need not be mounted on the
support shaft of the release lever 38, the dimension of the door
lock device 3 in a support axis direction can be reduced. That is,
the thickness of the door lock device 3 can be reduced. Even when a
biasing member other than the torsion coil spring is used, a space
for disposing the biasing member about the release lever 38 is
necessary. Therefore, the size of the door lock device 3 increases.
In contrast, according to the present embodiment, since a biasing
member other than the biasing member 50 may not be disposed about
the release lever 38, the size of the door lock device 3 can be
reduced.
[0067] Although the embodiment disclosed here is described above,
this disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment.
[0068] For example, the described-above embodiment describes an
example in which the torsion coil spring including two arms 501 is
applied as the biasing member 50. However, the biasing member 50 is
not limited to such a torsion coil spring. The biasing member 50
may bias the open link 35 toward the lock position when the active
lever 37 is located at the first position, bias the open link 35
toward the unlock position when the active lever 37 is located at
the second position, and may be elastically deformed when the
active lever 37 is located at the first position so that the open
link 35 can move to the unlock position.
[0069] The latch mechanism can be switched to the latching state in
which the vehicle door is held at the closed state and the
unlatching state in which the closed state of the vehicle door is
released. The latch mechanism may be switched from the latching
state to the unlatching state by the lift lever 36 moving from the
initial position to the operating position.
[0070] Further, the described-above embodiment describes the
configuration in which the open link 35 which is releasably
engageable with the lift lever 36 is rotatably supported with
respect to the outside open lever 34. However, the open link 35 may
be rotatably supported with respect to the inside open lever 32. In
this case, the inside open lever 32 moves to the operating position
by the inside door handle 17 being operated to open the door, and
may move from the initial position to the operating position
according to the movement of the outside open lever 34.
[0071] In order to solve the above problems, a vehicle door lock
device according to this disclosure includes: a latch mechanism
switching member (36) configured to switch a latch mechanism to an
unlatching state by moving from an initial position to an operating
position, the latch mechanism being switchable to a latching state
in which a vehicle door (1) is held in a closed state and an
unlatching state in which the closed state of the vehicle door (1)
is released; a first lever member (34) configured to move to an
operating position when a door handle (16 and 17) provided on the
vehicle door (1) is operated to open the door; a link member (35)
which is movable to an unlock position where the link member is
engaged with the latch mechanism switching member (36) and the
latch mechanism is switched to the unlatching state when the first
lever member (34) moves to the operating position, and a lock
position where the link member is not engaged with the latch
mechanism switching member (36) and the latch mechanism is not
switched to the unlatching state; a second lever member (38) which
is releasably engageable with the link member (35) and is
configured to cause the latch mechanism switching member (36) to
move to the operating position by moving from an initial position
to an operating position; a biasing member (50) configured to bias
the link member toward the lock position; and a drive unit (39 and
40) configured to drive the second lever member (38) to move from
the initial position to the operating position. When the second
lever member (38) is driven by the drive unit (39 and 40) to move
to the operating position, the second lever member (38) causes the
latch mechanism switching member (36) to move to the operating
position, and causes the link member (35) to move to the unlock
position against a biasing force of the biasing member (50). When
the drive unit (39 and 40) stops after moving the second lever
member (38) to the operating position, the link member (35) moves
to the lock position by the biasing force of the biasing member
(50) and causes the second lever member (38) to move to the initial
position.
[0072] When this disclosure is configured in this way, two members,
the link member (35) which is a member switchable to the locked
state and the unlocked state, and the second lever member (38)
which is a member that switches the latching state and the
unlatching state of the latch mechanism, are biased by one biasing
member (50). Accordingly, a biasing member for returning the second
lever member (38) to the initial position may not be separately
disposed. Therefore, the number of components of the door lock
device (3) can be reduced, and a size of the door lock device (3)
can be reduced.
[0073] The second lever member (38) may include a first engaging
portion (381) configured to be engaged with the link member (35)
and cause the link member (35) to move to the unlock position
against the biasing force of the biasing member (50) when the
second lever member (38) is driven by the drive unit (39 and 40) to
move to the operating position, and a second engaging portion (382)
configured to be engaged with the latch mechanism switching member
(36) and cause the latch mechanism switching member (36) to move to
the operating position.
[0074] When this disclosure is configured in this way, the second
lever member (38) presses the latch mechanism switching member (36)
via the second engaging portion (382) and causes the latch
mechanism switching member (36) to move to the operating position,
and the biasing force of the biasing member (50) is transmitted to
the second lever member (38) via the first engaging portion (381).
Therefore, after causing the latch mechanism switching member (36)
to move to the operating position, the second lever member (38)
returns to the initial position by the biasing force of the biasing
member (50) transmitted via the first engaging portion (381).
[0075] The vehicle door lock device may further include a third
lever member (37) which is movable to a first position and a second
position. The biasing member (50) biases the link member (35)
toward the lock position when the third lever member (37) is
located at the first position, and biases the link member (35)
toward the unlock position when the third lever member (37) is
located at the second position.
[0076] The biasing member (50) may be a torsion coil spring which
includes two arms (501) and is elastically deformable so that an
interval between the two arms increases. The link member (35) may
include a protrusion-shaped engaging portion (352). The engaging
portion (352) may be disposed between the two arms (501).
[0077] When this disclosure is configured in this way, when the
lift lever (36) is located at the initial position, the biasing
member (50) can bias the link member (35) toward the lock position
when the third lever member (37) is located at the first position,
and can bias the link member (35) toward the unlock position when
the third lever member (37) is located at the second position.
Further, since the biasing member (50) is elastically deformed so
that the interval between the two arms increases, the link member
(35) is allowed to move to the unlock position even when the third
lever member (37) is located at the first position.
[0078] The drive unit (39 and 40) may include a rotation member
(39) rotatable to an unlock position, a release position, and a
neutral position between the unlock position and the release
position. The rotation member (39) may cause the second lever
member (38) to move from the initial position to the operating
position when rotating from the neutral position to the release
position, and cause the link member (35) to move from the lock
position to the unlock position when rotating from the neutral
position to the unlock position.
[0079] When this disclosure is configured in this way, even when
the vehicle door lock device (3) is in the locked state, the drive
unit (39 and 40) can drive the latch mechanism into the unlatching
state, and the vehicle door lock device (3) can be switched from
the locked state to the unlocked state by the drive unit (39 and
40).
[0080] The principles, preferred embodiment and mode of operation
of the present invention have been described in the foregoing
specification. However, the invention which is intended to be
protected is not to be construed as limited to the particular
embodiments disclosed. Further, the embodiments described herein
are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.
Variations and changes may be made by others, and equivalents
employed, without departing from the spirit of the present
invention. Accordingly, it is expressly intended that all such
variations, changes and equivalents which fall within the spirit
and scope of the present invention as defined in the claims, be
embraced thereby.
* * * * *